A 45-year-old world record was finally broken on July 16 at the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics (WEIO) as Leif Richards — a UAA sophomore majoring in aviation technology — walked 15 feet, 4.5 inches in the greased pole walk. The previous record of 13 feet, 6 inches — set by Gene Andrew in 1981 — was one of the longest-standing records in the history of the WEIO, which have taken place annually in Fairbanks since 1961. The greased pole walk requires competitors to step barefoot onto a plank slicked with animal fat or shortening grease, and then shuffle horizontally for as long as possible without falling off. Before his record-setting walk, Richards had previously competed at the WEIO in 2022, 2024 and 2025. “Last year I got negative two inches in grease pole walk,” he said in an interview with KTUU.